Kathy is the Founder of Goodstone Group and is responsible for client and network development globally. In addition, she coaches senior executives and high potential leaders wanting to take their leadership effectiveness to the next level.

Professional Experience

Kathy coaches senior executives and high potential leaders wanting to take their leadership effectiveness to the next level.  Her clients are those with a desire to develop and a will to take some risks in learning to change.

As Kathy believes that leadership expectations have to be defined in the context of a leader’s business, organization, culture, and current/desired role, she begins her coaching work by understanding each of those dimensions.  She has extensive experience working with individual leaders, with business functions, and with entire organizations to understand business-based leadership expectations, to communicate them constructively, and to then help leaders to meet them.

With more than 16 years in a leading global management consulting firm with an up-or-out performance culture, Kathy is deeply skilled at supporting very smart, driven, and successful leaders who receive feedback about expectations for moving up or gaining broader support at the most senior levels.  A particular strength is in discovering behaviors underlying the often vague terms used to describe unmet expectations like “doesn’t fill the room,” “doesn’t convey strategic thinking,” “struggles to develop average performers,” “acts like a second in command,” and “isn’t visible enough.”  Following translation, Kathy supports her clients in taking the risks needed to experiment with new behaviors and in staying disciplined to the point of competence.

Kathy’s clients include senior and rising leaders in asset management, consumer goods, executive search, legal services, private equity, retail, technology, telecommunications, and transportation.  Her work also includes design and implementation of targeted initiatives to develop, retain, and advance  female leaders across a wide range of industries.

Kathy’s pro-bono clients are working to address hunger, development of at-risk youth, and improved models for electing  leaders in the federal government.

Recent Coaching Assignments

• CFO for Fortune 100 firm to develop readiness for succession to CEO
• Senior MD in asset management to demonstrate fit for a newly created market facing role, in the face of internal skepticism given a long tenure in a series of internal staff roles
• Corporate Controller for a Fortune 50 firm to accelerate readiness for succession to CFO
• CEO of $1 billion PE-backed consumer product company to address some derailing behaviors; repair damaged relationships with key colleagues; and rescope his role for the next stage of company growth
• President and COO of global consumer firm to develop readiness for succession to CEO
• MD in a global asset management firm as she transitioned from a series of internal staff roles to head a line of business with challenging growth prospects and significant margin pressure
• EVP of major airline carrier to accelerate transition into expanded role
• First-time CEO of retail and leisure business to transition to new role followed by 6-mos check up including upward feedback for discussion with his Board
• Founder and CEO of start-up focused on reimagining politics and reinvigorating government
• SVP of Operations in hospitality sector to enhance her candidacy to become a brand President and CEO, with a particular focus on demonstrating greater senior presence and gravitas
• Chief Technology Officer in innovation driven industrial firm to strengthen communications effectiveness and to develop a bench of potential successors
• BU Head of global technology firm to address significant concerns about executive presence (especially appearance and communications)
• Senior MD in client facing role of leading global asset management firm, to strengthen leadership effectivess in significantly expanded role, following multiple acquisitions
• MD and sector head for leading global PE firm to improve personal impact including appearance and communications
• COO of fast-growing technology firm to develop more effective interpersonal skills, demonstrate more strategic thinking skills, and to prepare for succession to CEO role
• Millennial generation founder and CEO of non-profit social venture to develop business and organanizational leadership skills
• Female non-equity partner in AmLaw 20 legal firm to demonstrate expectations of equity partner
• Fifteen senior and high-potential female leaders selected to participate in a year-long leadership program (recognized as a standard-setting program in the financial services sector)
• Partner in global professional services firm to develop a more succinct and less pedantic communications style
• Founder/portfolio manager of high performing hedge fund to improve communications effectiveness with prospective investors
• MD in a leading private equity firm to transition mindset and behaviors from expert to trusted advisor
• High potential leader in a Fortune 100 global financial firm to develop greater political savvy and strengthen relationships with key internal stakeholders
• Executive Director of an education foundation to develop a less-defensive communications style with her 50-member Board, and more effective staff management skills
• Senior deal maker in a major finance firm to develop and communicate greater conviction around key investment decisions
• Cadre of IR staff for private investment firm to practice and improve communications effectiveness in phone and in-person updates to investors
• Multiple leaders of private investment firm to prepare more compelling investment and fund updates for annual meeting of Limited Partners

Education and Professional Affiliations

• BS, Electrical Engineering, Virginia Tech
• MBA, Marymount University of Virginia
• Certificate in Leadership Coaching, Georgetown University
• Completed Goodstone/Blaqwell Developing Lawyers as Leaders training
• Certified in a range of contemporary assessment and typing tools including MBTI, Hogan, Conflict Dynamics Profile, EQinAction, CCL and Lominger instruments.